It was pitch black.

Where am I? Why can't I feel anything?

Everything around me wrapped in complete darkness, not even a flicker of light could be seen. Something was wrong, I was paralyzed. No, even worse than that. All of my senses had been disabled, my sight, hearing, touch, smell, even taste. My logic demanded that I should be trembling in fear right now, panicking, or breaking out in sweat at very least. But unexpectedly my heart was at peace, like this was where I should be.

'Finally! After almost a decade of waiting.' A voice reverberated through darkness.

Great, first I'm paralyzed, now a disembodied voice talking to me. 'How am I supposed to answer that question when I can't even talk in the first place?'

'I can hear your thoughts.'

'What? Who are you? Show yourself!' I tried to act intimidating, a futile act since my body completely paralyzed. But I wouldn't show any weakness, especially against unknown entity that might be enemy.

'Hm... A courage against overwhelming odd. Very well I'll answer your question. I'm recently called Aragami by your kind.'

What the hell? A talking Aragami? 'Have I gone mad? More importantly, why am I here? Is this even real?'

'No need to shout, although you probably do it inadvertently. You are perfectly sane, and I'm not illusion either. As for why you are here I merely want to speak with you, you're my new host after all.'

A host? Some sort of carrier? Me? Aragami carrier? Damn it, too many questions went unanswered.

'A host? What the hell?! Explain it!'

'Tell me, what is your last memories before you end up here?'

'Why do you need to ask when you can just read my mind?' I thought reflexively. A mind reader asked a question? What a joke.

'Don't be mistaken. While I can hear your thought I can't read your mind. I can forcefully scan it, but that'll be unpleasant for you and less interesting for me.'

There was a hint of smugness in his voice. 'Wait? Is it really a his?'

'I'm both ageless and genderless, call me whatever you want. You really need to learn the difference between talking to me and to yourself.'

My last memories? My departure from Magnolia Compass orphanage and subsequent arrival at the Far East Branch headquarter... and then... blank... Why couldn't I remember anything after that?

'I don't know, last thing I remember was my arrival at Far East headquarter.'

'As I thought, you can't recall that event.'

'Stop beating around the bush. Just tell me already!' Annoyance started to seep into me. His whimsical attitude getting on my nerve.

'Fine, you ask for it.'

A sudden wave of images flooded my mind. Everything was clear, how this is all began.

I was there, sitting in corner of the den canteen. My sister sat in front of me, eating what supposed to be a cornstick while my mouth still chewing kernels from my bland corn soup. I held back a laugh as my sister's eyebrows twitching repeatedly. Even a plain white rice had more flavor than this.

"What a horrible taste..." My sister muttered softly.

"Yeah, even worse than Nana's experimental food." I nodded in agreement.

The old phrase 'Don't judge book by its cover' was quite fitting in this. Den cafeteria had impressive look, everything was clean. Table, tableware, bench, even floor were spotless. It also had dedicated air and water filter, something that only few could rival. Granted, not as glamorous as Magnolia Compass orphanage but definitely beyond what a common folk could ever dream of. Excluding a fact that foods were as abysmal as it could be.

Almost every single food on menu contained some sort of corn. Buttered corn, roasted corn, corn soup, cornstick, popcorn, and many other corn'ish food that I didn't even recognize. And the worst part of it? Everything kinda bland. If we were lucky, we might got a decent tasted corn or two. If not... perhaps eating a chalk wasn't a far-fetched comparison.

After finishing our meal which somehow had a rubber like texture, we were heading to aptitude test chamber, a place where the final test performed. Should we succeeded we become a God Eater. However, a failure means death.

Both of us stopped in front of a sliding metal door. I tapped the metal door while looking at my sister "This is it sis, beyond this gate is the test chamber. I've told you that there is always a risk of failure, and it means death."

She stared me, unwavering determination shone in her eyes. "I know, I've decided since long time ago that this is my path and nothing will stop me."

I broke our eyes contact as the metal gate opened. "No... it's our path. Let's hope for the best. Come sis, the time has come." I grabbed her hand and drag her to the center of the room.

The room was unexpectedly empty. No medical instruments, no scanner or anything like that. This room didn't even resemble a lab in fact, with a platform on each side, holes and tear mark adorning the wall, and cream colored dirty concrete floor, this room was closer to a gym or training ground. There was one thing that caught my attention, a single red-roofed table standing right in the middle of the room. From the look of it, that table was some kind of testing instrument for a God Eater candidate. A single God Arc and a piece of half Armlet lies on the table, while the other half hanged on the roof.

"Welcome God Eater candidates, I'm Johannes von Schicksal, director of the Fenrir Far East Branch. Now, Rina Asari please step forward."

That man, Johannes, standing in observation room above us separated by a glass wall. A middle-aged glasses wearing man with short dark gray hair stood behind him.

My sister stepped forward, stopping right in front of the red table.

"Before we continue, please leave the chamber Rena Asari. We don't want any unnecessary interference."

What the heck they were asking? This was a matter of life and death yet they told me to leave my sister in her crucial moment? "No w-."

"It's ok sis, I'll be fine. Wait me at the other side." Despite what she said it clearly written in her face that she also felt disappointed. Deciding to comply, I swallowed back my voice and walked away. I gave her comforting smile before the gate sealed.

Her cries of pain penetrating the metal door.

My sister screamed with agony and I'm here forced to stay and do nothing. I knew it, I should've voiced my protest while I still had a chance. Frustration rose in me, I banged the metal door uselessly. That door was simply too thick but at least this would help me vent my frustration.

Thankfully my sister cries had ended, so thus my trashing. A small whimper coming out from the other side. My sister survived the process and had successfully become a God Eater. We were one step closer to our dream. I started to imagine her face, with a red Armlet in her wrist and a giant blade in her hand, wearing Fenrir God Eater uniform while smiling brightly at me and waving her other hand... Yeah exactly like that person... Wait? What?

I couldn't believe it. My sister standing right in front of me, exactly like my imagination earlier.

"I did it sis, I finally did it!"

My sister jumping right at me, held me tightly in her arm. Her God Arc blade had left half buried on the floor. I should be glad, and I should returned her embrace, not trashing around and trying to escape. But if I didn't I might passed out from asphyxiation soon.

"Can't... Breath..."

The pressure suddenly gone. Never thought that a simple air could be this satisfying. With a ragged breath, I looked at my sister. She wore a sheepish smile on her face, like child that caught with their hand stuck in a cookie jar.

"Sis... don't... ever... forget... that you're... a God Eater now... If you keep doing that... you might accidentally send someone... to clinic"

"I'm really really really sorry sis, I got too excited. I've completely forgotten that God Eater have much more strength than normal people. Oh yeah, I should be going. I need to return my God Arc to the storage facility immediately. I'll try to head back as soon as possible and wait for you right here... See you later."

She running around at full speed with a slight bounce in it. Well who didn't? After one of your lifelong dream had finally become a reality few moment of excitements was to be expected.

Metal door closed behind me and I'm back in testing chamber for second time. Everything just like the last time and I'm standing in front of the red table, like my sister had before.

"Welcome Rena Asari, welcome to the Fenrir Far East Branch. Mankind aegis, and one of the last fortress of humankind. Here in this chamber you'll undergo aptitude test. Should you succeeded you will become a God Eater, just like your sister have."

And if I didn't I would be dead for sure, thanks for sharing only half of the info.

I placed my wrist on the table and gritted my teeth, preparing myself for the pain that'd soon followed. The table roof slammed down, trapping my hand between it. A wave of agony run through my entire right arm. It feels like my arm had been crushed under the metal block. I gritted my teeth even harder. The pain steadily increasing, it was beyond everything I felt so far, not even a broken bone could be compared to this.

"Nghhh" Small grunt escaped my mouth. How long this gonna be? I wouldn't last much longer if this keep up. I squeezed table corner with my other hand. My legs are about to buckled when the pain abruptly stopped, just like how it started. Moment later the roof rose, releasing my now slightly smoking Armlet cladded wrist.

After calmed myself down I lift my new God Arc. These enormous blade weight less than a baseball bat I once had long time ago. All God Arc weight a lot, mine included, the reason why I could swing it like this was because strength enhancement that all God Eater have. Excellent, soon I could hunt together with my sister, hopefully with Lindow too.

"Just as expected, both of you have shown great promises, congratulations God Eater. Return your God Arc to the storage facility immediately. Your training will begin tomorrow, you may rest for now."

With small smile I started to walk toward the metal gate. That was when I felt something wrong. A combination of cold and pain spreading out from my right wrist. I dropped my God Arc and inspecting it. My Armlet emitting another series of black smoke, but this time it was much larger and followed by a strange rumbling. What happened? Was this normal?

A red light and a horn like sound blaring throughout entire chamber. What? Something wrong? There was no way that I'm incompatible... am I?

The rumbling grew stronger and my Armlet extruding a strange black tar like substance that crept and engulfed my forearm. I looked around frantically, trying to find something that might help. In observation room the glasses wearing man held a stack of paper and scanned over it. A pity with shard of panic written in his face.

"No... Impossible... This shouldn't have happened. All pre test reading indicate that she is a highly compatible candidate, even higher than her sister... But why?" His strained voice coming out from intercom.

"Nothing is impossible doctor, and you know it. If you look at it closely you may notice that is not incompatibility." Johannes spoke with disturbingly flat tone and pointed his finger at me.

The glasses wearing man stared at me for a few seconds before frozen solid. The paper stacks fell to the ground as he muttering an almost indiscernible word. "Infection..."

A sense of warmth and numbness on my arm disturbed me. The black tar had completely covered my entire right arm and now spreading to my chest. Infection? What should I do right now? Is there any way to at least slow it down? A crackling noises followed by a loud snap bring despair to my heart.

My Armlet had fallen apart.

Ever since I took my extra course at Magnolia Compass I knew that Armlet was not supposed to be taken off for any reasons, even retired God Eaters still required to wear it. Now, it lies in pieces, reduced to scrap metal. A single tear rolling down on my cheek. Despair, sadness, fear, everything was mixed-up. My legs had given up and I fell on my knees. I took a glance at the observation room for one last time only to found out that it had been abandoned. So I'm alone in a locked down chamber with no hope for survival. The numbness had reached my legs. Yep, as I thought, everything engulfed by black tar, only head and my upper chest were still untouched.

So this is the end huh? I'm sorry, I failed you sis. Not to mention I broke my promises with Nana, Ciel, and Romeo. The metal door opened and a young blond man wearing a blue hooded jacket came at me. He carried a giant saw like buster blade on his shoulder and stopped right in front of me before pointing his blade at my neck.

"Any last word?"

His voice was cold, flat, and uncaring. The numbness reached my neck. It took a great effort to looked up into his eyes. It held no emotion, almost as lifeless as corpse.

"Who are you?"

"Soma."

"Alright Soma, I'm sorry and... thank you... do it."

The last thing I saw was a sharp jagged edge coming right at my neck.

'So... I'm dead...'

'Dead? Hardly. No matter how many times he tried a blunt blade like that could never harm me... Or you in this case.'

So it was not my imagination, he had adopting human speech pattern. He could even scoff. 'What are you talking about? I'm pretty sure he sliced my head clean off.'

'Are you an idiot? We won't have this conversation if he kills you. No, I saved your life. My Oracle Cells harden to prevent your decapitation.'

Now that was surprising. A talking Aragami saved human life? Instinct to devour hardwired deep into Aragami existence, or at least that what they taught me. So it quite absurd when an Aragami saved your life instead. 'Why? What's your aim?'

'Nothing. Everything I had done until now is merely on whims.'

'What? I don't believe it.'

'When you have lived for thousands year you will either became apathetic or petty and whimsical. Besides, you are my first host that didn't completely erased. All my previous host lost themselves at this stage.'

'Wha... What are you? How ancient are you? What do you mean by not erased?' My brain running at full speed. The very implication of how old actually he was had left me in bewilderment.

'Story for another time. Your body have finished changing and you'll awake soon.'

'What the hell? What did you do to my body?' How could he? As if intruding my privacy was not enough, he now remade my body to his will. True he did save my life, but didn't mean that my body are his to toy with.

'That is side effect from your body harboring me. I'll try to help you adapt to your new body. If you really want to blame someone, blame the person that put me into your body nine years ago. Look at the bright side, this might become an interesting journey in your new ageless life. As for now... wake up young one.'

My eyes blinked for second times. Am I dreaming? Here I'm kneeling on the floor in this familiar chamber again. These scenes were exactly like in my dream, minus a few details such as missing God Arc and Armlet. Yeah, even air was as stale as in my dream. There also a sharp unexplainable hunger in me, but it probably nothing. Few bangs of white hair covering my eyes when I slumped down in relief, a very short relief.

"Whaaat? Why my hair is white?"

'I've told you once and I tell you again, it was not an illusion.'

"You are real!" I clasped my mouth tightly. A bit late since my voice already left my mouth.

'No need to shout. As I said, your body changed. Externally, you got white hair and a pair of yellow slitted eyes. Internally however... every single cells in your body are now Oracle Cells, you even have a core in your chest.'

Damn, that mean I'd lost my original brown eyes and black hair in addition to my humanity. I didn't care much about my face, but some trait that marked me and Rina as identical twins now gone. 'Can't you do something about it?'

'No, it's an unavoidable side effect. Look behind you by the way.'

I was surprised and recoiled few steps back. A giant black empty cocoon like structure stood tall in front of me. The surface was smooth and glossy, suspiciously resembled the black tar earlier. A large gash run across its front and surface around it warped outward, as if something had bursting out of it. Damn it, I was the one that did it, that was my cocoon.

'That is the last fragment of my original body, the very same one that protect you this entire time. I want you to consume it. Right now your Oracle are dangerously low, or you could say... starving in human terms. After that we will escape immediately.'

The hunger from earlier became stronger and started to gnawing at me. But still, eating such revolting thing is definitely a no.

'Nope, I won't touch that disgusting slimy thing. And seriously, escaping? I can just explain that I'm still me you know?'

'You can eat anything now, it will be like eating a tasteless gel at worst. As for your idea, you are probably the only one that survived infection, if you surrender yourself right now you will be killed at best or become their newest experiment at worst.'

His answer struck deep into my logic, he was right, they probably going to dissecting me for being able to stay sane after suffering a complete infection. Without any other option I tore a piece and began eating it. To his credit the cocoon indeed tasteless, like chewing flavorless jelly. My stomach churned. I had lost my humanity and now sitting on the floor while eating a scrap of Oracle Cells like feral Aragami, a fact that sicken me down to the core.

In a matter of minutes I had finished eating it, made me strangely fulfilled yet nauseated. The hunger had receded, replaced with a wave of energy. It still there, but it no longer gnawing at me.

'Any idea how to make a hole through few feet thick reinforced wall?'

'By slamming your fist at it of course. What else do you expect? Your strength is above the strongest God Eater now.' He replied in overly flat tone.

My eyebrow twitched, in a single day he learned to scoff and deadpan. Wouldn't be surprising if he learned sarcasm soon.

I took few steps back and slammed my fist with full force. The wall caved in and crumbling. Second slam caused numerous crack appeared from impact point. By now every available God Eaters should be heading here, undoubtedly alarmed by explosive like sound. My hand had completely penetrating it on the third slam. And now for one final push...

The metal door behind me opened. Just as I expected, two God Eaters coming in. Thankfully my sister was not among them, I'm still not prepared to meet her. The first person was Soma, the very same God Eater that almost euthanized me. The second God Eater was a young woman with shoulder length dark brown hair wearing scanty black green stripped dress.

"Damn it." Soma glared right at me. His face held no expression. Is he some kind of robot?

"What happened? Who is she Soma?" The woman asked in confusion.

"Careful Sakuya, it's an Aragami."

With a small gasp Sakuya pointing her sniper barrel at my head. The confusion in her eyes faded, replaced with alertness. "How?" She exclaimed.

"I was there when she was infected. I've tried to end her suffering." A guilt etched in his voice.

I see, he held a regret for his failure. "It's okay Soma, you are not at fault here. In fact, I thank you for trying at least, even if you failed in the end."

Both of them abruptly stopped, like time suddenly halted. To make matters worse Sakuya had a shocked expression on her face. Why did they surprised like that? Damn I'm an idiot, Aragami was NOT supposed to talk. Of course both of them acting like that, even I would be baffled if a talking Aragami suddenly appeared in front of me. "Um... Guys? Snap it out."

"What the hell? How?" Soma broke out of his trance first.

"It's complicated, but the point is I'm still me. Okay time to go."

Kinda funny to see a cold and expressionless person stared me in silence out of disbelief, sadly my time was running out. Before both of them could respond I ram the cracked wall with my body.

"What the...? Noooooooooooooo"

'Hahahahaha. Oh if only you could see your own face.'

'Yeah suuree, laugh at my misery... Stupid Aragami.'

I should've expecting that... Test chamber was among the highest floor in the den. The result was pretty obvious, my body was on the ground in a self-made human shaped crater with half buried face and arms wide open.

'You should be grateful, not even God Eater can take a head on free fall like that unscathed.'

Well, he was right. My body was covered with dirt and dust but not even a hint of soreness. It seems I had accidentally proving a fact that Aragami indeed impervious to any damage except God Arc and other Aragami.

I picked myself off the ground and brushed my cloth. From the look of my surrounding I'm somewhere in the east side of the den. With my new enhanced speed I dashed forward and heading to small path to outer Anti-Aragami wall.

I kept my head down to preventing anyone from seeing my eyes, occasionally I took a peek to check my surrounding. A sadness slipped into me, and it kept growing. People in here lived in poverty. Their house was nothing more than run-down shack and their cloth was barely decent enough. But at least nobody malnourished, that means Fenrir still cared about them, albeit not much. Something stole my attention as I passed a market stall. The vendor tried to sell poor quality corn kernels, even lower than bland corn in cafeteria. This little trip had opened my eyes. As someone who raised within the safety of Magnolia orphanage I never knew what's poverty looked like. Sure, I heard some rumors and a picture or two from FPBS but that didn't even close compared to experiencing it firsthand.

Something bumped my legs while I still looking around. A child had crashing my knees and fell on his back. My hand stretched out and helped him to stand up.

"Whooooaaaa. A God Eater..."

"She is not a God Eater you silly."

A girl slightly younger than the boy approaching us. Her face bear a slight resemblance to him. She had shoulder length brown hair and a pair of Brown eyes.

"What do you mean sis? She's wearing that uniform!"

"She has no Armlet. All God Eaters wearing a metal Armlet on their right wrist."

I winced a bit. She unintentionally brought up unpleasant memories about my shattered Armlet. The young girl bowed to me.

"Thank you for taking care of my big brother, we have to go back now please excuse-."

"Wait!" I took out all remaining Fc from my pocket and hand it over. Merely few hundreds, but hopefully it would aid them. The siblings eyes grew as wide as platter and their faces beamed with happiness. They thanked me profusely while bowing their heads.

How many things could be brought with few hundred Fc? Probably not much considering that merely pocket money. Dr. Leah gave to me yesterday, it was for covering my expenses while I'm still in training. Yeah, a training that would never comes.

I kept walking forward but my mind replayed the siblings beamed face over and over again. It gave me a sense of peace, a small respite in my stressful situations. If I think about it the siblings didn't make any comment about my eyes. Did they failed to notice it? It was unexpected too, the younger sister acted more mature than the older brother. My steady pace finally brought me to the base of Anti-Aragami outer wall.

'Why?'

'Why what?'

'Why did you help that child? You know that no matter what they do, they will never be able to repay you.'

His naivety tickling me. He still quite hopeless for a self-proclaimed thousands year old.

'It's called compassion. Are you really that old?'

'In my defense, up till now every other living being are either scared or tried to kill me.'

His tone held a sadness in it. That sarcastic idiot actually felt sad? 'Well enough of that, we can get acquainted with each other after we escape. Do you have any idea how to pass through this wall? Anything that doesn't include blowing a part of it?'

Anti-Aragami wall was the last lifeline of people around here, so I wouldn't damage it. Didn't think I could anyway.

'You need to use your Aragami form if you want to damage it, which is impossible for now. Try to scale it instead.'

'Wait, Aragami form? Nevermind that. We will REALLY acquainted with each other after everything has settled. And no, I'm not a spider, I can't climb this wall without any tool.' A headache pounding my head. Debate with unknown entity that had no common sense tend to gave anyone a headache.

'You are as hopeless as newborn. Stab the wall with your fingers. If you can't find a gap to grab then make one.'

Stop replying would probably ease my headache so I shut my thought off. The surface cracked as my fingers went through it. Strange, almost like I'm stabbing a dough. How much my strength had increased?

I reached the top after almost an hour of climbing. It was a pretty sight, the sky painted orange from sunset, I sat down on the edge and watching scenery in front of me. A warm and gentle breeze engulfing me like a thin blanket. The wind carried a flower like fragrance with slight dampness in it.

I kept watching the sky slowly darkened. Despite there was no light source my sight perfectly unhindered, definitely another result from my transition. Scenery from up here still quite impressive even in dark. A snowy abandoned temple known as Tranquil Temple up ahead, and wreckage of giant ship designated as Forgotten Carrier at my right. Well, enough about sightseeing, time to leave this place. I turned my back and gazed toward the Den for one last time.

"Take care of yourself sis. I promise you, we will meet again." Another question crossing me as I turned around.

'Riiight, another hour for climbing down. Do you have any other option? No, don't answer it. You probably telling me to jump.'

'You know me. But try to land on your feet this time.'

Great, he could use sarcasm now...

'I need to ask you something before that. What's your name? Surely I can't call you 'hey you' or 'Mr. Aragami'.

'I don't have it. Call me whatever you want.'

'It's settled then, I'll call you Pochi!'

'Are you trying to irritate me?' To my mirth, his tone had annoyance in it.

'Nopeee, it's called payback.' My tone laced with faked cheerfulness. 'Alright, how about... Rei?'

'It's adequate.'

'Okay, and now...' With that I took the leap.

"aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa"